Palestine Officially Demands Urgent Arab League Summit over Israeli Aggression

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Palestine Officially Demands Urgent Arab League Summit over Israeli Aggression

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

Palestine’s Permanent Representative at the Arab League Mohammed al-Aklouk requested an extraordinary Arab summit on the Israeli aggression against Palestinians, at the invitation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Aklouk said, in a statement published by Wafa, that Palestine’s request comes after coordination with Saudi Arabia in its capacity as the chair of the current 32nd session of the Arab Summit.

The Ambassador indicated that Palestine requested the summit to discuss the “brutal Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people” in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Palestine called for the summit to address ways to help the state and people of Palestine confront the political, humanitarian, economic, and social challenges.

The summit also aims to discuss Arab action at the international level to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, under international law, the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy, and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.

The Assistant Sec-Gen of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Palestine, Saudi Arabia who is residing at the summit, and other countries are holding ongoing consultations in preparation for the emergency meeting to discuss ways to stop the war in Gaza.

The Palestinian President called on the Arab leaders to convene an emergency summit to stop the brutal aggression against the Palestinian people and their cause.

Zaki indicated that the emergency summit is as good as done, adding that under the current circumstances, it is almost sure that two-thirds of the members will agree to hold an emergency summit either in Egypt or Saudi Arabia.

Last May, the Kingdom hosted the 32nd regular session of the Arab League at the summit level.

The Arab League held an emergency meeting at the level of foreign ministers on Oct. 11 in Cairo to discuss the situation in Gaza, which concluded with a call for urgent international action to stop the war in Gaza.

The meeting condemned the targeting of civilians and warned against attempts to displace the Palestinian people.



Three Killed in Israeli Strike on Damascus, Syrian State Media Says

Emergency service personnel and residents gather at the site of an Israeli strike in Syria's capital Damascus on October 2, 2024. (AFP)
Emergency service personnel and residents gather at the site of an Israeli strike in Syria's capital Damascus on October 2, 2024. (AFP)
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Three Killed in Israeli Strike on Damascus, Syrian State Media Says

Emergency service personnel and residents gather at the site of an Israeli strike in Syria's capital Damascus on October 2, 2024. (AFP)
Emergency service personnel and residents gather at the site of an Israeli strike in Syria's capital Damascus on October 2, 2024. (AFP)

Three civilians were killed and three wounded in an Israeli airstrike on Syria's capital Damascus on Wednesday, the Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a military source as saying.

The Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building in the Mezzah suburb in western Damascus, the source said.

Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years, but has ramped up such raids since last year's Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on Israeli territory.